DHAKA, Oct 27, 2021 (BSS) - The United States (US) has donated 3.5 million 
more doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh to support the 
country's new drive to inoculate youth ages 12 and up.

   US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller hoped this assistance will enable 
young people, especially students, to protect themselves from COVID-19 and 
safely resume their studies and social lives more fully, said a US embassy 
press release.  

   "We have also provided specialized training to hundreds of Bangladeshi 
health workers to help them safely administer these Pfizer vaccines among 
children ages 12 and up," the US envoy added. 

   With the latest consignment, now the American people have donated 15 
million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh and the total US government 
COVID-19 assistance to Bangladesh exceeds $121 million, according to the 
release. 

   Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized 
the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use among children ages 12 
to 17 years old. 

   This delivery of vaccines is part of the broader commitment by the United 
States to lead the global COVID-19 response by providing one billion doses of 
Pfizer vaccine around the world-free of charge-through 2022, said the US 
mission. 

   The US has donated $4 billion to support the worldwide COVAX effort, which 
includes support for ultra-cold chain storage, transportation, and safe 
handling of COVID-19 vaccines, making the United States the world's largest 
donor for equitable global COVID-19 vaccine access, it added.